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Gillis NE, Cozzens LM, Wilson ER, Smith NM, Tomczak JA, Bolf EL, Carr FE. TRβ Agonism Induces Tumor Suppression and Enhances Drug Efficacy in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer in Female Mice. Endocrinology 2023; 164:bqad135. [PMID: 37702560 PMCID: PMC10506733 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqad135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Thyroid hormone receptor beta (TRβ) is a recognized tumor suppressor in numerous solid cancers. The molecular signaling of TRβ has been elucidated in several cancer types through re-expression models. Remarkably, the potential impact of selective activation of endogenous TRβ on tumor progression remains largely unexplored. We used cell-based and in vivo assays to evaluate the effects of the TRβ agonist sobetirome (GC-1) on a particularly aggressive and dedifferentiated cancer, anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC). Here we report that GC-1 reduced the tumorigenic phenotype, decreased cancer stem-like cell populations, and induced redifferentiation of the ATC cell lines with different mutational backgrounds. Of note, this selective activation of TRβ amplified the effects of therapeutic agents in blunting the aggressive cell phenotype and stem cell growth. In xenograft assays, GC-1 alone inhibited tumor growth and was as effective as the kinase inhibitor, sorafenib. These results indicate that selective activation of TRβ not only induces a tumor suppression program de novo but enhances the effectiveness of anticancer agents, revealing potential novel combination therapies for ATC and other aggressive solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelle E Gillis
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
- University of Vermont Cancer Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Lauren M Cozzens
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Emily R Wilson
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Noah M Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Jennifer A Tomczak
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Eric L Bolf
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
- University of Vermont Cancer Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Frances E Carr
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
- University of Vermont Cancer Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
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Abutorabi ES, Poursheikhani A, Kashani B, Shamsaiegahkani S, Haghpanah V, Bashash D, Mousavi SA, Momeny M, Ghaffari SH. The effects of Abemaciclib on cell cycle and apoptosis regulation in anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:4073-4082. [PMID: 36877344 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08255-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an aggressive subtype of thyroid cancer, accounting for 1 to 2% of all cases. Deregulations of cell cycle regulatory genes including cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), and endogenous inhibitors of CDKs (CKIs) are hallmarks of cancer cells and hence, studies indicate the inhibition of CDK4/6 kinases and cell cycle progression as potent therapeutic strategies. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor activity of Abemaciclib, a CDK4 and CDK6 inhibitor, in ATC cell lines. METHODS AND RESULTS The ATC cell lines C643 and SW1736 were selected to study the antiproliferative effects of Abemaciclib using a cell proliferation assay and crystal violet staining assay. Annexin V/PI staining and cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry were also performed to examine the effects on apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest. Wound healing assay and zymography analysis examined the effects of the drug on invasive abilities of ATC cells and Western blot analyses were applied to further study the anti-tumor mechanism of Abemaciclib, in addition to combination treatment with alpelisib. Our data demonstrated that Abemaciclib significantly inhibited cell proliferation and increased cellular apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in ATC cell lines, while considerably reducing cell migration and colony formation. The mechanism seemed to involve the PI3K pathway. CONCLUSION Our preclinical data highlight CDK4/6 as interesting therapeutic targets in ATC and suggest CDK4/6-blockade therapies as promising strategies in this malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaheh S Abutorabi
- Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, School of Medicine, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arash Poursheikhani
- Medical Genetics Research Center, Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Bahareh Kashani
- Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, School of Medicine, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sahar Shamsaiegahkani
- Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, School of Medicine, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahid Haghpanah
- Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Davood Bashash
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seied A Mousavi
- Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, School of Medicine, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Momeny
- The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Seyed H Ghaffari
- Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, School of Medicine, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Lu YL, Huang YT, Wu MH, Chou TC, Wong RJ, Lin SF. Efficacy of adavosertib therapy against anaplastic thyroid cancer. Endocr Relat Cancer 2021; 28:311-324. [PMID: 33769310 PMCID: PMC8197631 DOI: 10.1530/erc-21-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Wee1 is a kinase that regulates the G2/M progression by the inhibition of CDK1, which is critical for ensuring DNA damage repair before initiation of mitotic entry. Targeting Wee1 may be a potential strategy in the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer, a rare but lethal disease. The therapeutic effects of adavosertib, a Wee1 inhibitor for anaplastic thyroid cancer was evaluated in this study. Adavosertib inhibited cell growth in three anaplastic thyroid cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Cell cycle analysis revealed cells were accumulated in the G2/M phase. Adavosertib induced caspase-3 activity and led to apoptosis. Adavosertib monotherapy showed significant retardation of the growth of two anaplastic thyroid cancer tumor models. The combination of adavosertib with dabrafenib and trametinib revealed strong synergism in vitro and demonstrated robust suppression of tumor growth in vivo in anaplastic thyroid cancer xenograft models with BRAFV600E mutation. The combination of adavosertib with either sorafenib or lenvatinib also demonstrated synergism in vitro and had strong inhibition of tumor growth in vivo in an anaplastic thyroid cancer xenograft model. No appreciable toxicity appeared in mice treated with either a single agent or combination treatment. Our findings suggest adavosertib holds the promise for the treatment of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ling Lu
- Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Tung Huang
- Center for Big Data Analytics and Statistics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hsien Wu
- Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Chao Chou
- Laboratory of Preclinical Pharmacology Core, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Current address: PD Science, LLC., 599 Mill Run, Paramus, NJ, USA
| | - Richard J. Wong
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shu-Fu Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Corresponding author: Shu-Fu Lin, Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan; ; Tel: +886 2 22630588 Ext 6178; Fax: +886 3 3288257
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Lin SF, Yeh CN, Huang YT, Chou TC, Wong RJ. Therapeutic inhibition of polo-like kinases in anaplastic thyroid cancer. Cancer Sci 2021; 112:803-814. [PMID: 33306266 PMCID: PMC7893987 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Polo‐like kinases (PLKs) are potent regulators of cell proliferation and cell survival. Polo‐like kinases are potential targets in the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), a rare but deadly disease. The therapeutic effects of volasertib, a PLK inhibitor, was evaluated for the treatment of ATC either alone or in combination with sorafenib. Volasertib decreased cell viability in three ATC cell lines (8505C, 8305C, and KAT18) in a dose‐dependent manner. Volasertib caused ATC cells to accumulate in G2/M phase, activated caspase‐3 activity, and induced apoptosis. Combination therapy using volasertib and sorafenib in ATC cells showed mostly synergistic effects. In vivo studies revealed that combination therapy of volasertib and sorafenib was effective in the treatment of 8505C xenografts. Single‐agent volasertib treatment was sufficient to retard 8305C tumor growth. No substantial morbidity was observed in animals that received either single‐agent or combination treatment. These preclinical findings suggest that volasertib could be an effective drug in treating ATC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Fu Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Nan Yeh
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Tung Huang
- Center for Big Data Analytics and Statistics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Chao Chou
- Laboratory of Preclinical Pharmacology Core, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard J Wong
- Head and Neck Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) plays crucial roles in the regulation of cell cycle and transcription that are tightly associated with cancer development and metastasis. The recent identification of the first covalent inhibitor which possesses high specificity against CDK7 prompts intense studies on designing highly selective CDK7 inhibitors and exploring their applications in cancer treatments. This review summarizes the latest biological studies on CDK7 and reviews the development of CDK7 inhibitors in preclinical and clinical evaluations, along with the prospects and potential challenges in this research area. CDK7 is an attractive anticancer target, and the discovery and development of CDK7 inhibitors has received much attention.
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Lin SF, Lin JD, Hsueh C, Chou TC, Wong RJ. Potent effects of roniciclib alone and with sorafenib against well-differentiated thyroid cancer. Endocr Relat Cancer 2018; 25:853-864. [PMID: 29895526 PMCID: PMC7475021 DOI: 10.1530/erc-18-0150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Activation of cyclin-dependent kinase activity is frequently observed in many human cancers; therefore, cyclin-dependent kinases that promote cell cycle transition and cell proliferation may be potential targets in the treatment of malignancy. The therapeutic effects of roniciclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor for papillary and follicular thyroid cancer (designated as well-differentiated thyroid cancer), were investigated in this study. Roniciclib inhibited cell proliferation in two papillary and two follicular thyroid cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Roniciclib activated caspase-3 activity and induced apoptosis. Cell cycle progression was arrested in the G2/M phase. Roniciclib treatment in vivo retarded the growth of two well-differentiated thyroid tumors in xenograft models in a dose-dependent fashion. Furthermore, the combination of roniciclib with sorafenib was more effective than either single treatment in a follicular thyroid cancer xenograft model. Acceptable safety profiles appeared in animals treated with either roniciclib alone or roniciclib and sorafenib combination therapy. These findings support roniciclib as a potential drug for the treatment of patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Fu Lin
- Department of Internal MedicineChang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Chang Gung UniversityTaoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jen-Der Lin
- Department of Internal MedicineChang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Chang Gung UniversityTaoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chuen Hsueh
- Chang Gung UniversityTaoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of PathologyChang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Chao Chou
- Laboratory of Preclinical Pharmacology CoreMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Richard J Wong
- Department of SurgeryMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
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Correlation of Reactive Oxygen Species Levels with Resveratrol Sensitivities of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2018; 2018:6235417. [PMID: 30116486 PMCID: PMC6079360 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6235417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the most lethal thyroid malignancy without a reliable therapeutic agent. Resveratrol possesses cancer-suppressive effects, while its effect(s) on ATC cells remains unknown. Because oxidative damage caused by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the therapeutic effects of anticancer drugs and oxidative stress-caused mitochondria swelling is observed in resveratrol-treated cancer cells, the oxidative statuses and their relevance with resveratrol sensitivities are elucidated using THJ-16T and THJ-11T ATC cells established from two human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cases. The results revealed that resveratrol-treated THJ-16T rather than THJ-11T cells showed remarkable growth arrest and extensive apoptosis accompanied with the elevated ROS generation and the attenuated superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and catalase (CAT) levels. Mitochondrial impairment and the enhanced caspase-9/caspase-3 activation are found only in resveratrol-sensitive THJ-16T cells. Treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) partly attenuated resveratrol-induced ROS generation and apoptosis of THJ-16T cells. The levels of resveratrol metabolic enzymes (SULT1A1 and SULT1C2) in THJ-16T cells were lower than those in THJ-11T cells and therefore reversely related with resveratrol sensitivities of ATC cells. Our findings demonstrate the ability of resveratrol to increase ROS generation and oxidative-related cellular lesions in resveratrol-sensitive THJ-16T cells presumably through activating the ROS-mitochondrial signal pathway. The levels of SULTs and ROS may reflect the response manners of ATC cells to resveratrol.
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Lin SF, Lin JD, Hsueh C, Chou TC, Wong RJ. Activity of roniciclib in medullary thyroid cancer. Oncotarget 2018; 9:28030-28041. [PMID: 29963260 PMCID: PMC6021325 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered cyclin-dependent kinase activity is observed in many human malignancies. Cyclin-dependent kinases that promote cell cycle progression may be promising targets in the treatment of cancer. The therapeutic effects of roniciclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor for medullary thyroid cancer were investigated in the present study. Roniciclib inhibited medullary thyroid cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Roniciclib induced caspase-3 activity and contributed to apoptosis. Cell cycle progression was arrested in the G2 phase. In vivo, roniciclib treatment retarded the growth of tumors of medullary thyroid cancer xenografts. In addition, roniciclib in combination with sorafenib was more effective than either single treatment in a xenograft model. No morbidity was observed in animals treated with single roniciclib therapy and combination treatment of roniciclib and sorafenib. These data provide a rationale for clinical assessment of using roniciclib in the treatment of patients with medullary thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Fu Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jen-Der Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chuen Hsueh
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Chao Chou
- Laboratory of Preclinical Pharmacology Core, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Current address: PD Science, Inc., Paramus, NJ, USA
| | - Richard J Wong
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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